Decisions in Love
by Jen Grimbee
Summary: Will Frodo's decision to sail away to the Grey Havens affect his newly found love life? Or will Frodo and Aurora find a way to make it work out?
1. Home

**Decisions in Love**

By:** Jen Grimbee**

Ch.1-**Home**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Lord of the Rings, just Shaye and Aurora.**

_The Road goes ever on and on_

_Down from the door where it began._

_Now far ahead the Road has gone,_

_And I must follow if I can,_

_Pursuing it with eager feet,_

_Until it joins some larger way._

_Where many paths and errands meet._

_And whither then? I cannot say._

A joyful tune could be heard across the hills and around the fields all through the Shire as the four hobbits made their long journey home. Merry, Pippin, and Sam sang loudly with plenty of mirth as they all caught sight of the first few green hobbit holes. As the hobbits turned the bend their entire homeland was seen stretched out before them.

Sam turned around on his small pony and looked over at his master who was looking around intently at his long missed home.

"Well, Mr. Frodo," Sam said with a smile, "We're home."

"At last," Frodo added with a smile of his own.

The hobbits continued their journey toward Bag End where they dismounted near the gate and tethered their ponies. The spiteful face of Lobelia Sackville-Baggins could be seen glaring at them through one of the many round windows. Soon she stormed out the front door of the smial and marched down to meet Frodo as he made his way up the path.

"What are you doing on my property!" she spat at him. "Bag End is mine now, so I suggest you vacate the premises at once!"

Lobelia stood straight in Frodo's face and gave him the meanest of all death glares. Frodo did not back away and was just about to calmly talk to Lobelia but she immediately interrupted him with another rude remark.

"May I remind you that I did buy this home from you before you went off on your cracked adventure."

Frodo continued to look Lobelia straight in the eye. His intense blue gaze never faltering. He took a deep breath and calmly corrected Lobelia.

"Ah, I see you have forgotten one minor detail," he told her, "You see, if you had actually read the small contract I had you sign you would've seen the notice that said you agreed to rent the hole from me until I came back."

Lobelia's mouth hung agape for a moment before she shut it with an audible snap. She couldn't find anything to say and she stammered, "But, but, but…" No other argument was made from her. (If you could call that an argument.)

"You have one week to take all of your possessions from my house and leave. For good," Frodo went on, waving the contract in Lobelia's wrinkled face.

Lobelia's face went from astonished/angry to just plain angry and she screamed in frustration. She shook a small fist in Frodo's face and then stormed up the path into the house muttering small curses under her breath.

"That went well," Merry said jokingly. The other three hobbits laughed. Then they all looked up when they heard a loud thump. They saw Lobelia throwing trunk after trunk of her belongings out the door and onto the front lawn.

"This could take a while," said Pippin, watching the amazing flying suitcases soar through the air.

"Well, until Lobelia is done in there, you can stay with me, Mr. Frodo," Sam said to his master. Frodo nodded in agreement and followed Sam to Bagshot Row.

The week went by rather quickly in Frodo's opinion and soon he and his friends were unpacking the last few boxes of his things and setting them in their rightful places. Once Bag End was set to rights the hobbits would occasionally head out to town as listen to the gossip that was being spread around Hobbiton, no doubt started by Lobelia because of her hatred toward Frodo.

Soon the whole of Hobbiton was buzzing with the news of the four crazy hobbits that had left their homes on some cracked adventure and had come back alive but not unscathed.

One fine day Frodo and Merry went off to town while Sam and Pippin stayed in Bag End doing whatever was necessary to keep it clean and comforting to come home to.

"Someone's got to clean up after you," Pippin had said to Frodo after he had denied his cousin's offer. Then Sam had sent them off with a final good-bye and Frodo and Merry went on their way.

A market was beginning to buzz with ongoing activity and the many hobbits going and coming around them were soon jostling Merry and Frodo. Vendors were trying their best to shout over the loud noises of the crowds to buy the goods they had at their tables. A gruff looking hobbit about knocked Frodo off his feet and he spun around to keep himself on his feet. But Frodo's sudden movement caused him to bump into Merry and two young lasses.

"Hey! Watch where you're going there, buddy!" shouted one of them as she picked up the other.

"It's all right, Shaye," the other lass said to the first, brushing the other off her arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Frodo apologized, "Are you all right, I didn't see you."

"Obviously," Shaye muttered under her breath. She winced when the other lass elbowed her in the arm.

"It's fine, no harm done," the other lass said to Frodo.

Frodo nodded along with Merry. "Well, we might as well introduce ourselves," said Frodo, "I'm Frodo Baggins."

"My name's Merry Brandybuck," Merry added with a slight bow to the lasses.

"I'm Aurora Burrows and this is my sister," Aurora said motioning to Shaye, "Her name's Shaye," Aurora added when Shaye refused to say anything to Frodo and Merry.

"A pleasure to meet you two," Merry and Frodo said together.

"And you," replied Aurora.

"I still feel kind of bad for what I did," said Frodo, "Would you like to go to the Green Dragon with us tonight?"

Aurora smiled and looked over at her sister who still was glaring at the two hobbits in front of them. "Why not," Aurora answered making Shaye look over at her in surprise.

"All right then," Frodo said with a cheerful smile, "Shall we meet you there an hour or so before nightfall?"

"Sounds good," Aurora replied and they all gave a final bow before going their separate ways.

TBC…

A/N-This is my very fist fanfic so go easy on me. I know that Frodo never really had Lobelia sign a contract that said she had rented Bag End, but I thought I'd play around with that idea. Hope anyone who has read this enjoys and please don't flame me about this. Like I said, this is my first time. Well, enjoy!

Jen


	2. The Green Dragon

Decisions in Love 

By:** Jen Grimbee**

Ch.2- **The Green Dragon**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Lord of the Rings. Just Aurora and Shaye are mine.**

Later that day Aurora and Shaye were home sitting by their comfy fireplace arguing over whether they should go with Frodo and Merry or not.

"I think we should go," Aurora said calmly to her sister as she settled herself comfortably in an armchair with her small sketchpad, "They were nice enough to invite us and it would be rude not to."

"And I say, blow them off!" Shaye retorted, "They're perfect strangers and they knocked us both down at the market today!"

"Now you're just over reacting," Aurora said, "It was a complete accident and you know it."

Shaye snorted in response and hid her face behind a brown covered book while sitting down in the opposite chair in the room. "I still think we should go," Aurora said to her.

Shaye pretended to ignore her and continued to read. Finally she said to Aurora, "This is just an assumption but… I think you liked that Frodo Baggins."

Aurora blushed a deep crimson red and eyed her sketch intently. "So what if I did," she said, sketching away, "It's not a bad thing to like someone now is it?"

Shaye smirked and shook her head. She laughed at her sister's flustered face and set her book down on the nearby table.

"All right, we'll go," she agreed, "If it'll make you happy then we'll meet them there."

Aurora looked up from her sketchpad and smiled at her sister. "Will you really?"

Shaye nodded, "But if I don't like this Green Dragon place, then we're coming straight home." And with that final statement spoken, Shaye sat back with her book and began to read again.

Bag End

"They're not going to come, cousin," Merry said to Frodo, flailing his arms as if to put emphasis on his words.

"You don't know that, Merry," Frodo replied, opening the door to the smial and walking in.

"I'm pretty sure that Shaye wasn't at all fond of us," Merry said, following Frodo inside. "I think she might've talked her sister into not coming."

"Oh, come now, Merry. Think logically," Frodo responded with a lopsided smile, "Do you really think that could happen?"

Merry looked at Frodo in confusion and then looked down at the tiled floor, shaking his head.

"I'm quite sure that the two will show up tonight, at least I'm sure Aurora will. As for Shaye, well, she'll calm down. She was just being protective of her sister, that's all," Frodo explained to Merry.

"All right," said Merry, looking up, "But don't get your hopes up if they don't show up."

Frodo chuckled and smirked at his younger cousin and then followed him into the sitting room where they heard Pippin and Sam having a lively conversation.

Later that night Merry and Frodo walked over to the Green Dragon Inn where Shaye and Aurora were waiting patiently for them outside. The lasses said their hellos to the cousins and Frodo and Merry escorted the sisters inside. The hobbits found an empty table and the barmaid whisked them all four mugs of ale without even asking them what they wanted.

An awkward silence hung in the air as the hobbits sat around the circular table sipping their ales. Soon, Frodo broke the uneasy quietness with a question to Aurora and Shaye.

"Are you two new here? I don't remember ever seeing you around Hobbiton before," he asked, taking another sip of his drink.

"Yes, from Bree," Aurora answered.

Merry looked over at his cousin with a smug grin plastered on his face. He held up his mug to hide his face so Frodo wouldn't notice.

"We've been there," said Frodo, completely oblivious of Merry.

Merry snorted and added, "Perhaps you've heard of the famous vanishing hobbit that just so happened to come there one evening." He nudged Frodo, who had turned a bright shade of red.

Shaye and Aurora looked over at Frodo and giggled. "Yeah, we've heard all about that," said Shaye, "I take it that was you?"

Frodo nodded once and cleared his throat in embarrassment, finding the interior of his beer mug to be quite fascinating. The others only laughed harder. To change the subject, Frodo looked up and faced Aurora.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked her, standing and offering her his hand.

Aurora looked down at Frodo's hand and then up at his face and smiled. "Why, yes. Thank you."

Merry looked over at Frodo and Aurora and followed his cousin's example with Shaye. He turned to her and offered her his arm and asked the same question. Shaye stood without a word and accepted his offer and the two couples strode out to the dance floor.

They danced for a while and when they were all exhausted from it, they sat down and had a few more drinks, chatting all the while. When the last of the stars had shown their bright little faces and the hobbits began to get sleepy, they all decided it was time to call it a night.

"It's getting rather late, we should probably head home," said Aurora, stretching out her arms.

"Yeah, I'm falling asleep on my feet," Shaye added with a large yawn.

"Would you like an escort home?" asked Merry, standing from his chair.

"No, that's all right. We'll be fine," said Shaye with a smile. "But thank you."

Frodo and Merry nodded and walked the girls out the door and watched them walk back to their home before heading back to Bag End for the night.

TBC…

A/N-And chapter two is finito! Finally finished it and I hope it's toeveryone's taste. I'm tired so… yawn I'm going to go to bed now and sleep and think of a way to come up with chapter three to this story. But I hope that you all enjoyed this next chapter. Let me know in your review. Thanks lots!

Jen


	3. Meeting Sam and Pippin

**Decisions in Love**

By: **Jen Grimbee**

Ch.3- **Meeting Sam and Pippin**

**Disclaimer: Only Shaye and Aurora belong to me. Nothing else.  
**

Another two days passed and the sisters and the cousins saw each other regularly after their outing to The Green Dragon. Frodo and Merry told Sam and Pippin all about the girls and soon the two were begging Merry and Frodo to introduce them.

"So… when are we finally going to meet these mysterious lasses you've been rambling on about, cousin?" Pippin asked Merry for the tenth time that day.

Merry sighed in exasperation and turned to Pippin with a huff. He grasped his younger cousin's shoulders and shook him slightly as he spoke.

"Goodness Pip!" Merry exclaimed, "If you ask me one more time I swear I'll pop your head off!"

"Relax Merry," said Frodo, holding back a laugh as he walked into the room. "We've set up another outing with the girls for tomorrow. We're heading for a swim at Bywater Pool."

"That's fantastic," cried Pippin once Merry let go of him.

"You mean those two can actually swim?" Sam asked in astonishment.

Frodo and Merry nodded in response. Sam's eyes widened and he walked off muttering things under his breath. The others snickered.

The next day found the occupants in Bag End all in frenzy. The four hobbits were bustling about for things to pack away in the baskets they were taking with them.

"Is everything packed, Sam?" Frodo asked as he checked one of the two baskets for the thousandth time.

"Yes, Mr. Frodo. Just calm down and we'll be on our way soon," Sam replied, leading his master away from the kitchen table where the baskets sat. Once he had finally managed to seat Frodo, Sam went back into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on their basket of goods.

The four hobbits jumped when they all heard the sound of the doorbell ring through the halls. Frodo bounded up from his seat and sprinted toward the front door yelling, "I'll get it!" And just as he expected, Frodo opened the door wide for Aurora and Shaye and welcomed them into the smial happily.

"It's great to see you two again!" Frodo greeted cheerfully to the lasses. "You did remember to bring something to swim in, right?"

"Of course," Shaye answered for the both of them.

"Where are your other two friends that you wanted us to meet, Frodo?" Aurora asked eagerly as she sat down in the seat Frodo offered her.

"Just one moment," Merry said, striding into the room. "They're coming, they're just finishing up some last minute things."

Soon Sam and Pippin's voices could be heard echoing down the hall. They were arguing over something silly. Pip had probably gotten into one of the baskets for an early snack, which had annoyed Sam quite a bit.

"You're such a bottomless pit, Mr. Pippin!" Sam scolded Pippin as the two walked into the room where Frodo, Merry, Aurora, and Shaye were sitting.

"I can't help if I'm hungry, Sam," Pippin said back, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a huff. Sam only shook his head and held up his hands in defeat.

Suddenly, their attention was drawn to the eyes staring at them. Aurora was holding her hand to her mouth, trying desperately to muffle an oncoming laugh. Shaye was doing the complete opposite and was laughing loudly. Merry and Frodo only smirked at Sam and Pippin. They blushed and hung their heads.

Sam was the first to recover. He cleared his throat and lifted his head and said, "Um, excuse me, my apologies misses."

"It's quite alright," Aurora replied, eyes watering from suppressed laughter.

"Yes! It's perfectly fine! You two are the best form of entertainment since our father!" Shaye told them.

"Shaye!" Aurora shouted to her sister playfully.

"Uh, well. It's seem Pippin and Sam have made a wonderful first impression on you two," Merry cut in with a smirk toward his younger cousin and Sam.

"I agree," Frodo added with a chuckle of his own. "Shall we get going?"

"Yes, let's," Shaye and Aurora said together as they stood from their chairs and linked arms.

They group watched as Pippin ran back into the kitchen and grabbed the baskets off of the table. Sam also watched him intently and shouted at him once he was out of his sights.

"Don't you dare touch anythin' in those baskets, Mr. Pippin!"

"Yes, mother!" Pippin shouted back sarcastically.

Merry and Frodo snorted quietly to themselves and led the two laughing sisters out the door and towards the gate. When the two fighting hobbits finally emerged from the smial and joined the others, the group finally was able to set off toward Bywater. As the hobbits walked along the wide dirt path, a small conversation began to take form.

"So what brought you two here to Hobbiton?" Pippin asked, speeding up to get closer to the sisters.

Shaye and Aurora glanced at each other quickly and both took a deep breath before answering. Shaye started.

"Aurora was about ten and I was nine when our parents decided to move out to Bree. They wanted something new."

"After many years of living in the same old hobbit hole near the outskirts of Bree, our father died in a nasty cart accident. Mother was devastated and was hardly the same again," Aurora then added.

"She hardly ate or slept. Finally she also died once the despair was just too much for her to bear," said Shaye.

"After this, Shaye and I decided it was time to go back to Hobbiton. I was finally of age to make the decision on my own and we sold our hole almost immediately and were out of Bree the very next day. And so… here we are," Aurora finished.

Once the sisters had finished telling Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin their tale, all was silent for the rest of their journey. The sisters glanced at each other one last time before turning their heads toward the path ahead of them. Shaye tilted her head over towards Aurora's ear and whispered,

"I think we just dampened the mood."

Aurora shrugged her shoulders in response and said nothing. Shaye did the same. Once the group finally reached Bywater, the mood shifted a little. Aurora and Shaye glanced around at the small village, taking in the sights. They had never left Hobbiton after moving there so Bywater was a completely new thing for them.

"Are we far from the pool yet?" Aurora asked, finally breaking the silence between everyone.

Frodo looked over at her and shook his head. "No, we should be there shortly."

And just as Frodo had predicted, the hobbits found themselves overlooking the beautiful scenery that surrounded the pool just ahead of them. Aurora and Shaye's eyes widened as they stared ahead.

"Wow," the sisters whispered together.

TBC…

A/N- Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. My computer went on the haywire on me and I couldn't get online for a while. Then I had writer's block for the longest time and couldn't come up with a new idea for this chapter. But now I'm back and I hope that this is worth the wait. Enjoy and thanks!

Jen


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